Author Topic: New Jersey Court grants gay couples equal rights  (Read 2643 times)

Offline isabelle

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New Jersey Court grants gay couples equal rights
« on: October 26, 2006, 12:59:40 pm »
I thought this deserved to be mentioned!

After Massachussetts (sp?) in 2003, New Jersey is the second US state to grant gay couples full equal rights. They are not sure whether to call it "marriage" yet (like in Massachussets), but hey, all I have to say is

YEEHAWW!!![/
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Offline David In Indy

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Re: New Jersey Court grants gay couples equal rights
« Reply #1 on: October 27, 2006, 03:24:21 am »
Isabelle

Bless your heart. Thanks for posting this.

When things like this happen here in the US,  it means a lot to gay Americans.

President Bush issued a statement today: "Marriage is to be defined as a union between a man and a woman".

Apparently he is outraged over this New Jersey ruling.  >:(

Hey y'all...I just had an idea. Let's vote for a DEMOCRATIC Congress on November 7.  :D

Thanks again for this post Isabelle.  :)
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Offline Lynne

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Re: New Jersey Court grants gay couples equal rights
« Reply #2 on: October 27, 2006, 03:30:29 am »
I also think this is an important milestone!  Thanks for posting it, Isabelle.  It's nice to read about a progressive victory once in awhile :) .
-Lynne
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Offline Kelda

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Re: New Jersey Court grants gay couples equal rights
« Reply #3 on: October 27, 2006, 04:13:35 am »
We're (well most people - probably not all, because you'll always have some bigots in society) going to look back at bush in 30 years time and think - how the hell was he even allowed to say that in private never mind public.

Look at the history programmes you get know where you stare in disbelief at the TV screen about the racist things that went on 40 years ago.

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Offline Lynne

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Re: New Jersey Court grants gay couples equal rights
« Reply #4 on: October 27, 2006, 04:30:35 am »
Yes, Kelda..I think you're right on-track.  A friend and I were talking earlier today about what even a few years ago passed as acceptable, but many people no longer are in agreement...lowering your voice to speak of 'gays', racial stereotypes on TV and in advertisements..

Right now there is a big example in TN where Ford (black Democrat) is running for Senator vs Corker (white Republican) for Bill Frist's vacant seat.  It's getting very ugly.  And a Vanderbilt University professor was analyzing some of the racial undertones in Corker's advertisements...

-Lynne
« Last Edit: October 27, 2006, 01:14:32 pm by Lynne »
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Offline Kelda

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Re: New Jersey Court grants gay couples equal rights
« Reply #5 on: October 27, 2006, 05:30:11 am »
Lynne thats sounds interesting - can you tell me more or point me in the right direction.. ?
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Offline Lynne

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Re: New Jersey Court grants gay couples equal rights
« Reply #6 on: October 27, 2006, 01:23:17 pm »
Lynne thats sounds interesting - can you tell me more or point me in the right direction.. ?

Kelda - Here is the article from The Tennessean:

VU prof sees racial 'code' in canceled ad
Corker team says idea ridiculous
 
By BONNA de la CRUZ, Staff Writer

A blond, white woman tells the African-American candidate, Democrat Harold Ford Jr., to "Call me" in a commercial.

The white opponent in the U.S. Senate race, Republican Bob Corker, tells Tennesseans that Ford is not one of us -- he's from D.C. and doesn't share Tennessee values.

A radio ad for Corker uses the sounds of tribal-like drumbeats in the background music when his black opponent is mentioned.

To one Vanderbilt University political scientist, an expert in negative advertising, this adds up to a "disturbing pattern" of playing to racial fears.

"Republicans are playing with fire here," said John Geer, who had a book published this year, "In Defense of Negativity: Attack Ads in Presidential Campaigns."

Geer said the "Call me" commercial crossed the line.

So, with new eyes, other parts of the Republican campaign against Ford are looked on with suspicion for coded racial messages, he said. "These are not accidents," Geer said.

The Corker campaign laughed at the notion it was sending coded messages.

"That's the most ridiculous thing I've heard in this campaign," said Todd Womack, spokesman for Corker.

"First, they don't want us to say Congressman Ford is from D.C. Then they don't want us to say he's from Memphis. They don't want us to talk about the Ford political machine," Womack said. "Now they don't like our music."

Geer likened the drumbeats in the Corker ad to "tom toms" and said Corker's suggestions that Ford is "not one of us" could be code for Ford not being white.

Womack replied that Corker simply is echoing what Ford himself has said -- he moved to D.C. when he was young and then entered politics there.

The controversial "Call me" commercial came from the Republican National Committee. Corker quickly denounced it as "tacky" and "over the top."

RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman told CNN on Wednesday the ad was no longer running, but Wednesday evening it was still airing in the Nashville market.

And at least one television station in Chattanooga, WRCB-Channel 3, was still airing it because it did not want to run the Republicans' replacement commercial.

The new Republican ad claims Ford "voted to recognize gay marriage" and "wants to give the abortion pill to our schoolchildren."

That commercial hasn't gone over well with the Ford campaign, either.

"They dropped the sleazy ad and put on the libelous one," said Michael Powell, senior advisor to Ford.

The second ad, named "Shaky," prompted a letter from Ford's attorneys to Tennessee TV station managers asking them to not run it, saying the claims on gay marriage and the "abortion pill" are "false and misleading." Both ads were created independently of the Corker campaign.

Republicans back up the gay-marriage accusation by saying Ford voted against a provision to remove review of the 1996 "Defense of Marriage Act" from the jurisdiction of federal courts. Ford's campaign says that was not a vote to recognize gay marriage, and Ford has twice voted in favor of a constitutional ban on gay marriage.

Republicans document the "abortion pill" claim with a 2000 vote, but Ford said that vote had nothing to do with the pill, which had not even received federal approval yet.

A spokesman for the Republican National Committee said, despite Ford's claim of libel, the "Shaky" ad is running statewide in Tennessee.

"We're not aware of any issues questioning its factual content," spokesman Danny Diaz said. "The ad speaks for itself. If the Ford folks are concerned about the content, it reflects unease with the candidate's record."

Diaz would not say whether the "Call me" ad was pulled because of controversy, but said, "The ad had run its course."

Both ads are below the belt, Geer said. "They are the kind of ads you run when you're behind," he said.

Recent independent polls, however, show Corker barely leading but within the polls' margin for error. One African-American voter in Madison said she was appalled by the white woman asking Ford to call her in the commercial.

"You put the shoe on the other foot, if that had been a black ... engaging in some type of sexual innuendo to a white man's son, there would have been repercussions, all kinds of restitutions and lawsuits," said Anita Bailey, 57, a registered nurse and event planner.

She said it clearly played to people's fears of black men being with white women.

She was further appalled when she heard about the radio ad and said she will be watching for other hidden messages in the contest.

Ford's campaign declined to weigh in on the race debate other than to say its main concern was making sure voters could separate fact from fiction.

"The success of our campaign shows that Tennesseans do embrace Harold Ford Jr. as one of our own," said Tom Lee, senior advisor to the campaign.

"This campaign wouldn't be so close if people didn't understand that Harold Ford is one of us in every sense of the word -- thoughtful, articulate, hard worker -- he defines Tennessean in every sense of the word."

Also on Wednesday, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee launched two anti-Corker ads, including one featuring former Gov. Don Sundquist.

The ad says Corker worked as Sundquist's finance commissioner and says, "Then came Sundquist's planto raise income taxes." However, Corker was long gone from Sundquist's Cabinet when the income tax came up.o

Staff writer Jessica Fender contributed to this report. Contact Bonna de la Cruz at 726-5990 or [email protected].

Finale a forum, not debate

The final meeting of the U.S. Senate candidates before Election Day -- billed as a forum, not a debate -- is Saturday at Ingram Hall on the Vanderbilt University campus.

Republican Bob Corker and Democrat Harold Ford Jr. will answer audience questions during the forum from 7 to 8 p.m. The questions will be pre-screened by the League of Women Voters, one of the sponsors.

No more tickets are available to the public. But the debate will be broadcast live on WTVF-Channel 5 and will be offered to other CBS affiliates around the state.

-- BONNA DE LA CRUZ

http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_action=doc&p_docid=11508032349420F8&p_docnum=1&p_theme=gannett&s_site=tennessean&p_product=NTNB
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